Beginning
The Coming Glory of Israel
54 “Sing, you barren woman,
even the[a] one who never bore a child!
Burst into song and shout for joy,
even[b] you who were never in labor!
For the children of the desolate woman will be more
than the children of her that is married,”
says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the location[c] of your tent,
let the curtains of your dwellings be stretched wide,
and[d] don’t hold back.
Lengthen your cords;
strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right hand and to the left,
and your descendants[e] will possess[f] the nations
and will populate the deserted towns.
4 “Don’t be afraid,
because you won’t be ashamed;
don’t fear shame,
for you won’t be humiliated—
because you will forget the disgrace of your youth,
and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 For your Maker is your husband;
the Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name,
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of the whole earth.
6 For the Lord has called you back
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like the wife of a man’s youth when she is cast off,”
says the Lord your God.[g]
7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you;
but I’ll gather you with great compassion.
8 I hid my face from you for a moment in a surge of anger,
but I will have compassion on you with my[h] everlasting gracious love,”
says the Lord your Redeemer.
God’s Reconciliation with Israel
9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to me,
when I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again spread over the earth;
so have I sworn that I won’t be angry with you again[i]
and that I[j] won’t rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may collapse
and the hills may reel,
but my gracious love will not depart from you,
neither will my covenant of peace totter,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
11 “O afflicted one,[k] passed back and forth,[l] and not comforted,
Look! I am about to set your stones in antimony,
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 And I’ll make your battlements of rubies,
and your gates of jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
13 Then all your children will be taught by the Lord,
and great will be your children’s prosperity.
14 “In righteousness you’ll be established;
you will be far from tyranny,
for you won’t be afraid,
and from terror,
for it won’t come near you.
15 Watch! If anyone does attack you,
it will not be from me;
whoever may attack[m] you will fall[n] because of you.
16 Look! It is I who have created the blacksmith
who fans coals in the fire,
and produces a weapon for his purpose.
It[o] is I who have created the ravager to wreak havoc;
17 no weapon that is forged against you will be effective.[p]
This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants,
and their righteousness from me,”
says the Lord.
An Invitation to Life
55 “Come, everyone who is thirsty,
come to the waters!
Also, you that have no money, come,
buy, and eat!
Come! Buy[q] wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why spend your money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?[r]
Listen carefully to me,
and eat what is good,
and let your soul delight itself in rich food.
3 Pay attention[s] to me,
come to me;
and[t] listen, so that you may live;
then I’ll make[u] an everlasting covenant with you,
as promised by[v] my faithful, sure love for David.
4 “Look! I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of the peoples.
5 “Look! You will call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that does[w] not know you will run[x] to you,
because of the Lord your God, even[y] the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.”
Steps to Reconciliation
6 “Seek the Lord while he[z] may be found,
call upon him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous person his thoughts.
Let him return to the Lord,
So he’ll have mercy upon him,
and to our God,
for he’ll pardon abundantly.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For just as[aa] the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For just as the rain and snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there without watering the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
yielding seed for the sower and bread for eating,[ab]
11 so will my message be that goes out of my mouth—
it won’t return to me empty.
Instead, it will accomplish what I desire,
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 “For you will go out in joy,
and come back[ac] with peace;
the mountains and the hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees in[ad] the fields[ae] will clap their hands.
13 Instead of thornbushes, pine trees will grow,
and[af] instead of briers, myrtles will grow;
and they[ag] will be a sign for the Lord,
and an everlasting name[ah] that will not be cut off.”
The Covenant Extended to the Righteous
56 For[ai] this is what the Lord says:
“Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and soon my deliverance will be revealed.
2 Blessed is the one who does this,
and the person that holds it fast,
who observes the Sabbath without profaning it,
and restrains his hands[aj] from practicing any evil.
3 “Let[ak] no foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say:
‘The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.’
Furthermore, let no eunuch say,
‘Look![al] I am just a dry tree.’”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me,
and who hold fast my covenant—
5 to them I will give in my house[am] and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters.
I will give them[an] an everlasting name
that will not be cut off.[ao]
6 “Also, the foreigners who join themselves to[ap] the Lord,
to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,[aq]
to be his servants,
and to bless the Lord’s name,
observing[ar] the Sabbath without profaning it,
and who hold fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will rise up to be accepted[as] on my altar;
for my house will be called a house of prayer
for everyone.”[at]
A Rebuke to Israel’s Guardians
8 This is what the Lord God says,
the one who gathers the outcasts of Israel:
“I’ll gather still others to them
besides those already gathered.[au]
9 “All you wild animals,[av] come and devour—
even[aw] all of you wild animals.[ax]
10 His[ay] watchmen[az] are blind;
they are all without knowledge.
They are all dumb dogs—
they cannot bark.
They keep on dreaming and lying around,
and they’re lovers of sleep![ba]
11 Meanwhile,[bb] the dogs have a mighty appetite—
they can never get enough.
And as for them, they are the shepherds[bc] who lack understanding;
they have all turned to their own way,
each one to his gain,
each and every one.
12 “‘Come!’ they say, ‘let’s[bd] have some wine,
and let’s fill ourselves with strong drink!
Then,[be] tomorrow will be like today,[bf]
or even much better!’”
Israel’s Idolatry
57 “Also[bg] the righteous are perishing,[bh]
but no one takes it to heart;
devout people[bi] are taken away,
while no one understands
that the righteous person is taken away from calamity.
2 Then[bj] he enters into peace,
and[bk] they’ll rest on his[bl] couches,
each one living righteously.[bm]
3 “But as for you, come here,
you children of a sorceress,
you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes![bn]
4 Whom are you mocking?
And[bo] against whom do you make a wide mouth
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
the offspring of lies,
5 you who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every spreading tree,
who slaughter your children in the ravines,
under the clefts of the rocks?
6 “Among the smooth stones[bp] of the ravines is your portion—
there they are as[bq] your lot.
To them you have poured out drink offerings;
you have brought grain offerings.
Should I be lenient over such things?
7 “You have made your bed
on a high and lofty mountain,
and you went up to offer sacrifice there.
8 Behind the doors and the doorposts
you have set up your pagan sign.”
For in deserting me you have uncovered your bed—
you have climbed up into it
and have opened it wide.
And you[br] have made a pact for yourself with them;
you have loved their bed,
you have looked on their private parts.[bs]
9 You went to Molech[bt] with olive oil
and increased your perfumes;
you sent your ambassadors far away,
you sent them down even to Sheol[bu] itself!
10 You grew tired with your many wanderings,[bv]
but you wouldn’t say: ‘It is hopeless.’
You found new strength for your desire,
and so you did not falter.
11 “Whom did you so dread—
and while you feared me[bw]—
that you lied,
and you did not remember me,
and[bx] did not lay to heart these things?[by]
Haven’t I remained silent for a long time,
and still you don’t fear me?”
12 “I will denounce your righteousness[bz] and your works,
for your collections of idols[ca] will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out, let your collection deliver you!
The wind will carry them all off,
and[cb] a mere breath will sweep them all away.”
God’s Reward for the Faithful
“But whoever[cc] takes refuge in me will possess the land,
and will inherit my holy mountain.
14 And one has said:[cd]
‘Build up! Build up the road![ce]
Prepare the highway!
Remove every obstacle from my people’s way.’
15 “For this is what the high and lofty One says,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“He lives[cf] in the height and in holiness,[cg]
and also with the one who is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 For I won’t accuse forever,
nor will I always be angry;
for then the human spirit would grow faint before me—
even the souls that I have created.
17 Because of his wicked greed I was angry,
so I punished him;
and[ch] I hid my face, and was angry—
but he kept turning back to his stubborn will.[ci]
18 I’ve seen his ways,[cj] yet I will heal him,[ck]
and restore for him[cl] comfort[cm] to him
and for those who mourn for him[cn]
19 when[co] I create the fruit of the lips:
Peace[cp] to the one who is far away or near,” says the Lord,
“and I’ll heal him.
20 But the wicked are tossed like the sea;[cq]
for it is not able to[cr] keep still,
and its waters toss up mire and mud.
21 “Yet[cs] there is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
False and True Worship
58 “Shout aloud!
Don’t hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Declare to my people their rebellions,[ct]
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 They[cu] seek me day after day,[cv]
and are eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practices righteousness
and has not forsaken the justice of their God.
“They ask me to reveal just decisions;
they are eager to draw near to God.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they ask,[cw]
‘but you do not see?
‘Why have we humbled ourselves,’[cx] they ask,[cy]
‘but you take no notice?’”
Fasting that God Approves
“Look! On your fast day you serve your own interest
and oppress all your workers.
4 “Look! You fast only for quarreling, and for[cz] fighting,
and for hitting with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and have your voice heard on high.
5 “Is this the kind of fast that I have chosen,
merely a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it merely for bowing down one’s head like a bulrush,
for lying[da] on sackcloth and ashes?
Is this what you[db] call a fast,
an[dc] acceptable day to the Lord?
6 Isn’t this the[dd] fast that[de] I have been choosing:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
and[df] to untie the cords of the yoke,
and[dg] to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry,
and to bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked,
to cover him with clothing,[dh]
and not to raise yourself up[di] from your own flesh and blood?”
God’s Reward
8 “Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will spring up quickly;
and your vindication will go before you,
and[dj] the glory of the Lord will guard your back.
9 Then you’ll call,
and the Lord will answer;
you’ll cry for help,
and he’ll respond, ‘Here I am.’
“If you do away with the yoke among you,
and[dk] pointing fingers and malicious talk;
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the needs of afflicted souls,
then your light will rise in darkness,
and your night will be like noonday.
11 And the Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your soul in parched places,[dl]
and they[dm] will strengthen your bones;
and you’ll be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
12 And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You’ll raise up the age-old foundations,[dn]
and people will call you[do] ‘Repairer of Broken Walls,’
‘Restorer of Streets to Live In.’
13 “If you keep your feet from trampling the Sabbath,
from[dp] pursuing your own interests on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and[dq] the Lord’s holy day honorable;
and if you honor it by not going your own ways[dr]
and[ds] seeking your own pleasure or speaking merely idle[dt] words,
14 then you will take delight in the Lord,
and he[du] will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;
and he[dv] will make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob, your father.
“Yes! The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
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